1. Technical Field
This invention relates to a nurse's mitt to be used in place of a conventional washcloth to cleanse the skin, refresh and stimulate circulation.
2. Background
While caring for the hospitalized or nursing home patient, invalid or elderly in the home, baby or child, the conventional washcloth is inefficient and awkward. A washcloth necessitates the use of both hands to apply soap and rinse material. Thus, if the patient has to be turned and held on his side to wash his back, an extra nurse may be necessary to hold this obese, paralyzed or otherwise debilitated patient in position. A washcloth has to be folded, wadded in the hand or folded around the hand. This makes the washcloth difficult to control and lacks uniformity of pressure on the patient's skin. In the situation when a patient's buttocks or perineal area needs cleansing while he is in a standing position, two nurses are oftentimes needed: one to give support and the other to wash the patient. In a limited space, such as a bathroom, the use of a hard-to-handle washcloth is awkward. The awkwardness of this situation is magnified if the area to be washed cannot be seen due to the nurse's position in relation to such patient. If, while being washed, such standing patient begins to fall and needs immediate support from the nurse, a time delay while the nurse discards the washcloth may be critical. For the arthritic patient or a patient afflicted with any of the number of musculoskeletal disorders, it is difficult for such patient to hold his washcloth making self-care for such patient difficult or impossible and necessitating more dependence on others.
Accordingly, the object of this invention to provide a nurse's mitt which will contribute to the solution of the discussed problems of the art.